Refrigerator



Oct;27, 1936. D, F, NEWMAN 2,059,016

REFRIGERATOR Filed June 11, 1935 lnventc w" Delbevt F? Newman.

His A torney.

Patented Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES aosaom' PATE REFRIGERATOR Delbert F. Newman, Schenectady, N. Y-., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application June 11, 1935, Serial No. 25,990

9 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigerators, and

more particularly to, ventilating arrangements therefor.

It is desirable to store food or the like in re- 5 frigerators for a period of several days especially in refrigerators designed for domestic use and provided with a refrigerating machine which is capable of maintaining the cooling or food storage compartment at a suflicien'tly low tempera- 1o ture to make such storage feasible. In case foods are stored in a refrigerator of the type described a for a relatively long period of time, it is desirable that some arrangement be made for supplying fresh air to the interior of the cooling com- 15 partment in order to aid in minimizing the dehydration of articles stored therein, prevent such articles from becoming odoriferous and to carry away any gases given off by the articles. It is an object of my invention'to provide an an improved arrangement for ventilating a cooling compartment of a. refrigerator.

Further objects and advantages of myinvention' will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty 25 which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

For a better understanding, ofmy invention, reference may be had to the accompanying draw- 30 mg in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a refrigerator embodying my invention, the lower portion of the refrigerator being cut away; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the door and part of the front 35 wall of a modified form of refrigerator embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, in Fig. 1 I have shown a refrigerator of the household type provided with a cabinet l including an open top 40 rectangular sheet metal outer shell Ii and an open top rectangular inner liner' l2 separated by heat insulation -l3.- The inner liner l2 forms a rectangular cooling or food storage compartment M in which articles to be preserved may be 45 stored. The space between the adjacent upper edges of the shell H and liner I2 is closed by a band of heat insulation I 2a. Access is'provided to the interior of the cooling compartment M by a rectangular door I6 which is hingedly sup- 50 ported on the outer shell II. A wire shelf I! supported on the inwardly projecting shoulders l8 formed on the inner liner i2 is provided within the cooling compartment and on which articles to be stored therein may be conveniently supported without obstructing the circulation of air in the compartment. The top of' the compartment llis' closed by a removable top wall l9 which includes a sheet metal -top 20 supported on the top of the outer shell Hi, The lower side of the removable top wall I9 is formed by a rec- 5 tangular sheet of metal 22 which rests on a rubber gasket 23 provided on a shoulder 24 which extends about the inner liner 12. Heat insulation 25 separates the sheets 20 and 22 of the removable top wall IS, a strip of insulating ma-..10 terlal 25a being provided about the edges of the? insulation 25. 1

A refrigerating machine is mounted on the i removable top wall l9 and preferably includes a refrigerant circulatory unit which, in the illustrative form of my invention, is a motor driven compressor unit contained in a hermetically sealed'steel casing 26. Gaseous refrigerant is compressed by the motor driven compressor contained in the casing 26 and passes therefrom to a natural draft air cooled condenser 21 which surrounds the casing 26 and is mounted on heat dissipating flnsila which extend between the easing 26 and the condenser 21. The refrigerant liquefied in the condenser 21 issupplied to an evaporator 28 which is supported on the lower side of the removable top 19 of the refrigerator cabinet and extends into the cooling compartment l4. The liquid refrigerant in the evaporator 28'absorbs heat from the contents of the 30 cooling compartment l4 and is vaporized thereby. The refrigerant vaporized in the evaporator 28 is returned to the motor driven compressor contained in the casing 25 and the cycle is repeated until the desired temperature is attained in the cooling compartment M. The machine is periodically operated to maintain the evaporator at atemperature of about 20 F. during the portion of the cycle in which the machine is running.

I'have provided an arrangement for circulating a restricted quantity of fresh. air through the interior of the cooling compartment H in which fresh air is admitted to the compartment through a restricted inlet and air is dlschargedtherefrom through a restricted outlet. The heat resulting 1 from the operation of the refrigerating machine is utilized to induce the flow of air from the compartment through the outlet. In the refrigerating machine shown in Fig. 1, a fresh air inlet is 60. formed by a conduit 29, which extends through the top wall I9 of the cooling compartment M. The fresh air entering the compartment I 4 circulates downwardly therethrough as indicated by the arrows 30 in Fig.1 and isv cooled by the evaporator 28 and hence tends to move toward the bottom of the compartment i4 due to its increased specific gravity upon being cooled. An air outlet is formed in the removable top wall l9 by a conduit 3!. The heat generated by the refrigerant circulatory unit is utilized to induce a circulation of air through the cooling compartment [4. The conduit 3! is arranged in good thermal contact with the exterior of the casing 26 being soldered or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. Heat is thus transferred from the casing 26, which is maintained at a temperature of about 120 F., through the walls of the conduit 3| to the air contained therein. The air in the conduit 3| is also warmed by the transfer of heat thereto from the condenser 21 and fins 21a through the medium of the warm air circulating upwardly between the condenser 21 and casing 26 due to natural draft. The air in the conduit 3| is thus heated to a temperature of about 105 F. when the casing is at 120 F., and consequently tends to flow upwardly and out of the end of the conduit, as indicated by the arrows 32. A flow of air is thus induced through the cooling compartment M, the fresh air entering'through the inlet conduit 29 and air leaving the compartment H through the outlet conduit 3|. The air circulating upwardly over the fins 21a, condenser 21, and casing 26 due to natural draft also entrains the air leaving outlet conduit 3| and thus aids in inducing circulation therethrough.

The fresh air which continually enters the compartment it supplies additional moisture to the air in the cooling compartment, thus maintaining the relative humidity thereof at a comparatively high value. In the particular refrigerator illustrated, if ambient temperature is F. and relative humidity is 60%, the air in the cooling compartment may be maintained at about 45 F. with the evaporator operating at about 20 F. Under such conditions the humidity of the air in the cooling compartment is nearly double that prevailing in a similar cabinet which is unventilated. It is desirable to prevent lowering of the humidity of the air in the cooling compartment H, which would otherwise be caused by the condensation of moisture on the evaporator 28, in order to prevent dehydration of' vegetables or other articles stored in the cooling compartment. The ventilation of the cooling compartment has a further advantage in that the progress of any deterioration of articles stored in the cooling compartment is inhibited by carrying away the gases resulting from such deterioration.

In Fig. 2, I have shown a modified arrangement, embodying my invention, for admitting fresh air to the interior of the cooling compart ment l4. Fresh air is admitted through an inlet formed between the spaced ends of a rubber gasket 33 which extends about a major portion of a peripheral flange 34 formed on the door IS. The gasket 33 is pressed between .the adjacent portions of the exterior wall I I of the cabinet l0 and the peripheral flange 34 of the door [6 thus sealing the edge of the door It and preventing the entrance of air to the compartment l4 except between the ends of the gasket 33. The ends of the gasket 33 at the top of the door are arranged in spaced relation in order that a restricted amount of fresh air may pass therebetween and enter the cooling compartment l4 between the adjacent edges of the door l6 and the walls of the aperture l5 formed in the front wall of the cabinet H), as indicated by the arrows 35 in Fig. 2; In the cabinet shown in this illustrative form 01 my invention, the ends of the gasket 33 are preferably spaced about two inches apart, the flange 34 of the door being spaced about A of an inch from the front wall of the cabinet. The fresh air entering the cooling compartment I4 between the ends of the gasket 33 is cooled by the evaporator 28 and circulates downwardly through the compartment and then upwardly as it absorbs heat from the contents of the compartment to the outlet conduit 3|. A flow of fresh air through the cooling compartment I4 is induced by the heating of the air in theoutlet conduit 3|, the heat from the motor driven compressor in the casing 26 being utilized as described above. Fresh air is thus continuously supplied in a restricted amount to the interior of the cooling compartment. With a gasket having an opening therein of thedimensionsnoted, a complete change of air in the compartment will be effected approximately every hour if the ambient temperature is about 80 F., the compartment temperature is about 45 F., and the outlet conduit temperature is about F.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, in connection with a refrigerating machine of the compression type, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment, a refrigerating machine for abstracting heat from said cooling compartment, means for admitting fresh air to said cooling compartment, and means utilizing heat generated by said refrigerating machine for inducing a flow of air from said cooling compartment.

2. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment, a refrigerating machine including a. refrigerant evaporator located in said cooling compartmentand a refrigerant circulatory unit located outside said cooling compartment, means for admitting fresh air to said cooling compartment, and means utilizing heat generated by said refrigerant circulatory unit for inducing a flow of air from said cooling compartment.

3. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment, said cooling compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet formed in the walls thereof, a refrigerating machine including a refrigerant evaporator located in said cooling compartment and a refrigerant circulatory unit located outside said cooling compartment, and means conveying air from said outlet in proximity to said refrigerant circulatory unit and utilizing the heat generated thereby for inducing a circulation of air from said cooling compartment. a

4. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment, said cooling compartment being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, said air outlet being located in the top wall of said cooling compartment, a refrigerating machine including a refri erant evaporator located in said cooling compartment and a refrigerant circulatory unit located above said cooling compartment, and means conveying air from said outlet in proximity to said refrigerant circulatory unit-and utilizing the heat generated aoraoic' thereby for inducing a circulation of air from said cooling compartment through said outlet.

5. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment, said cooling compartment having an air inlet and an air outlet, said outlet being located in the top wall of said cooling comlated cooling compartment having a removable top wall, a refrigerating machine mounted on said.

removable top wall, said refrigerating machine including a refrigerant evaporator suspended from the lower side of said top wall in said cooling compartmentand a refrigerant circulatory unit mounted on said removable top wall, said top wall being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet extending therethrough and communicating with said cooling compartment, and means including a.

conduit extending from said outlet in proximity to said refrigerant circulatory unit and utilizing heat generated by said refrigerant circulatory unit for inducing a circulation of air from said cooling compartment. v

7. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment cooling compartment, sai being provided with a removable top wall having an air inlet and an air outlet extending therethrough and communicating with said cooling compartment, a refrigerating machine mounted on said top wall, said refrigerating machine including a refrigerant evaporator suspended from said top wall and extending into said cooling compartment, a casing mounted on said top wall, a motor driven compressor contained in said casing, and means including a conduit extending from said outlet in thermal contact with said casing and utilizing heat generated by said motor driven compressor for inducing a circulation of air from said cooling compartment.

8. A refrigerator provided with a heat insulated cooling compartment having an aperture in one wall thereof, a door forclosing said aperture, a gasket extending about a major part of the peripheral portion of said door, the ends of said gasket being arranged in spaced relation and providing between said ends an aperture for the ment, a refrigerating machine including a refrigerant evaporator located in said cooling compart ment and a refrigerant circulatory unit located outside said cooling compartment, and means utilizing the heat generated by said refrigerant circulatory unit for inducing a flow of air from the interior of said cooling compartment.

9; A'refrigerator provided with a heat'insulated food storage compartment having an aperture in one wall thereof, a door for closing said aperture in the wall of said cooling compartment, said door having a peripheral flange arranged in spaced relation with respect to said wall of said cooling compartment, a gasket extending about a major part of said peripheral'fi'ange between said flange and said wall, the ends of said gasket being arranged in spaced relation and providing between said ends an aperture for the admission of fresh air to said cooling compartment.

DELBERT F. NEWMAN.

. admission of fresh air to said coolin'g compart- 

